East Columbia is a neighborhood in North and NortheastPortland, Oregon, located on the Columbia River floodplain. It borders Sunderland to the southwest, Piedmont and the Columbia Slough to the south, and Kenton to the west. To the north, it borders Bridgeton and the Columbia River. Much of East Columbia is made up of wetlands and industrial space, though there is more open space and residential areas towards the east.
The first European settler to arrive in the area of East Columbia was John Switzler in 1855, who operated the first post office there as well as the first Portland-Vancouver ferry.
The first school, Columbia School, was opened in 1907. The neighborhood originally had its own school district, Columbia School District, which operated from 1920 to 1964, when it was absorbed into Portland Public Schools. After the school district was discontinued, the original Columbia School was turned into the Columbia Children's Arboretum, which was owned by multiple organizations until Portland Parks & Recreation took over in 1999.
Dikes and flood protection have been in East Columbia since 1905. However, after the Vanport Flood in 1948, they were strengthened.
East Columbia was annexed by the City of Portland in the early 1970s, and the East Columbia Neighborhood Association was formed in 1977.[2][3]
